Episode 86: Dating After Divorce with Bela Gandhi

This week on the podcast, we're talking about dating after divorce with Bela Gandhi. Bela has been called The Fairy Godmother of Dating by Steve Harvey, Harry Connick Jr. and The Huffington Post — so basically, she's magic.

Bela is the founder of The Smart Dating Academy in Chicago, and has been helping people find lifelong love for over a decade.

When I first got divorced, I could not wait to start dating!! Unfortunately, I wasn't focused on dating for fun and experience. Instead, I was on a quest for my next husband! Needless to say, that did not go very well for me. #stillsingle

When I look back at my dating experience post separation and divorce, I can say without hesitation that it was the biggest lesson in learning who I am in relationships. If you're thinking about what dating after divorce will look like for you or about to start dating again, I encourage you to look at dating as an interesting and introspective process.

And to listen to whatever Bela tells you to do — that's what I'm doing now! #projectfindkateahusband

Show Highlights

• How to know when you're ready to date and why making sure you are as healed as you can be following your divorce is so important. (7:47)
• If you haven't worked on yourself first, you'll run into the same relationship over and over again. (11:59)
• The difference between what happened in your past relationships and what you made up. (16:16)
• What has happened to the dating world because of COVID-19. (20:41)
• What are some of today's rules of engagement for women coming out of marriages? (26:16)
• Some of the red flags of dating. (29:28)
• Dating with attention and awareness. (42:16)
• Smart Dating Academy: How Bela and her team work with clients. (46:09)

Learn More About Bela Gandhi:
Bela Gandhi is a dating/relationship expert, founder of Smart Dating Academy and a weekly media correspondent. She is a relationship expert and has been featured on most national/local media outlets.

After she graduated (with dual degrees in Finance and German from the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign), Gandhi worked in mergers and acquisitions for Arthur Andersen in Chicago for a year before joining her family's chemical and manufacturing company (CCC) as the, where she divided her time between Chicago and Europe helping to expand the business. When the Gandhi family sold its business to Akzo Nobel, she was asked to remain its leader, and became Akzo Nobel Non-Stick Coating's Global Vice President of Housewares. But even as she quickly climbed the corporate ladder, Gandhi had a feeling that her career would one day be taking a sharp turn in a different direction – because she discovered her love of matchmaking and providing dating advice. She launched her Smart Dating Academy in 2009.

Smart Dating Academy has quickly become one of the nation's top date coaching firms - and teaches busy, successful professionals to jump start their dating lives successfully. Smart Dating Academy is described by its clients "like going to Harvard Business School, but for dating and relationships". SDA's coaches become personal trainers for their clients' love lives. The SDA coaching program is results-oriented and fun - which helps you to clarify who is right for you, stop old dating patterns, and use technology the RIGHT way. You become positive and enthusiastic about dating / relationships again! Its clients receive personalized dating plans, and essential training in how to meet high caliber singles, personal style, conversation, and online success.

Resources & Links:
Bela on Instagram
Bela on Facebook
Bela on Twitter
Visit Bela's website and grab your copy of 7 Clues You're Dating A Narcissist

The Ultimate Divorce Survival Guide
Should I Stay or Should I Go Facebook Group